Dylan’s first song in eight years riffs on JFK’S death

BOB DYLAN has released his first original song in eight years, offering fans a sprawling ballad about the assassination of John F Kennedy.

The Nobel literature laureate takes the listener from the day “they blew off his head” through discursive rhymes about pop music and American counterculture.

At 17 minutes, Murder Most Foul is Dylan’s longest track and his first original material in almost a decade, having released only cover collections since 2012.

The 78-year-old announced the release online yesterday, thanking fans for their support and loyalty.

The track recorded “a while back” dispenses with the “poetic expressions” praised by the Nobel committee, and describes the death of President Kennedy in stark terms.

Simply accompanied by piano, violin, and gentle percussion, Dylan delves into the 1963 Dallas assassination when Lee Harvey Oswald “blew out the brains of the king”.

Dylan told fans on his website: “Greetings to my fans and followers with gratitude for all your support and loyalty across the years. This is an unreleased song we recorded a while back that you might find interesting. Stay safe, stay observant and may God be with you.”

Dylan’s last original work was released in the 2012 album Tempest, which preceded cover collections.

The song meanders from death to pop culture references, taking on the voice of JFK, and the persona of “patsy” Oswald. Representatives of Dylan have not revealed whether more tracks will follow.